Molly's Gift
by MzDany
Summary: A chance encounter with an extraordinary alien leaves Janeway and Chakotay with a certain revelation...


MOLLY'S GIFT  
By Dany  
PG 13

**Summary: A chance encounter with an extraordinary alien leaves Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay with a certain revelation...**

The Delta Flyer had been on the moon's surface for the better part of the day and, despite all those hours of repeat scanning and testing, the Away Team kept coming up with the same results: inferior quality.

"Damn!" Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres looked up from the console displaying the test results and slapped her hand against the wall of the shuttlecraft. A few feet ahead of her, slumped in the pilot and copilot seats, Commander Chakotay and Ensign Kim sighed in unison. No further comment from their Chief Engineer was necessary; they were not going to find any dilithium pure enough to be used for fueling Voyager on this moon. It had been the same on every planet they had visited for the past few weeks and the level of dilithium in Voyager's warp core was almost depleted.

"I don't get it," Torres growled, "Dilithium is a naturally occurring substance around here. We haven't had any problems so far finding excellent qualities of this stuff, so why now all of a sudden?"

Chakotay tapped a few controls on his console and powered up the shuttlecraft's engines, "Let's check this last spot on the south side of the moon and then call it a day."

Torres grunted, her face furrowed in a scowl, "If this keeps up, Voyager will be down to impulse drive in a matter of days. Then we might as well all get out and push."

Neither of the men commented on her remark. The long hours of fruitless searching combined with the permanent darkness and cold of the moon was fraying all of their nerves, and they wanted nothing more than to get this task done and over with.

The Delta Flyer took off and hovered the few hundred kilometers to the south end of the moon. And from a safe distance, so did the dark, shapeless form that had been watching and trailing the shuttlecraft since its arrival.

"Away Team to Voyager."

Captain Janeway tapped her combadge. "Go ahead, Commander."

"We are at the last testing site, Captain. This batch looks just slightly better than the rest. B'Elanna thinks it will do for the warp core, but it's not going to last long."

The Captain sighed, "Well, at this point we'll take whatever we can get. Transmit the coordinates and we'll get started on beaming up as much as possible."

"Understood." Chakotay reached for the portable transmitter console and turned to Harry, saying, "Let's get out of here."

Kim nodded gratefully, "Please! I hate these space suits. And I have to scratch my head." He put his gloved hand to his helmet and rubbed its side.

"You scratch hard enough and you might just break through." Torres grinned in a better mood, now that the task's end was in sight. They all picked up their testing equipment and slowly made their way over the low-gravity surface back to their shuttle. Its ramp was down and the warm, yellowish illumination from its interior looked as inviting to Chakotay as a comfortable cottage with a crackling fireplace right now. Once inside, they re-established life support, peeled out of their bulky environmental suits and slipped into their chairs, eager to be off this moon and back on Voyager. None of them even thought about looking around their little shuttlecraft before they took off. Otherwise they might have spotted the shadowy mass that clung to the darkest corner of the cabin's ceiling.

**BACK ON BOARD...**

Dinner that night consisted of vegetable stew and cheese sandwiches and the mood of the Command Team of the USS Voyager was somewhat subdued. Commander Chakotay looked out of the mess hall's large viewport at the stars that crept by slowly.

"Almost feels like we would be faster if we walked," he sighed.

Janeway took a sip of her coffee substitute, "Naw, you hate space suits."

Chakotay snorted, thinking of Harry Kim. "I'm not the only one."

The captain didn't respond to his remark, just continued sipping her coffee and staring blankly out of the viewport. She was clearly distracted. Chakotay wondered what she was thinking about. When the silence had stretched to a minute he cleared his throat. "Well, according to Tuvok's calculations, we won't reach the next dilithium-rich planet for another two days, so if you aren't doing anything later, then how about a game of pool at Sandrine's and a few drinks? My treat."

Janeway blinked as if startled out of a reverie, and when she looked at Chakotay a guarded expression came over her face. He had seen that same expression more and more often over the past few weeks and suddenly realized that by suggesting this social get-together, he had made a mistake.

The captain confirmed this when she pushed her chair back and grabbed her tray. "Sorry, Commander, but there is still a stack of reports in my office with my name on it. Literally. Maybe some other time," she mumbled weakly.

She averted her eyes, but not before he caught the briefest flash of pain there and turned to walk towards the bank of recyclers. Chakotay remained seated, silently watching her as she put her dishes away and exchanged a few words with the ensign in line behind her. He sighed and nodded sadly to himself, knowing that 'some other time' was not very likely to happen.

And it had been 'Commander' again. When was the last time she had addressed him by name instead of rank? Even sadder was that he had actually expected just this reaction from her, as she had been keeping him at arm's length for almost five weeks now. Or, to be more precise, since their ship had come back to collect them from their brief isolation on a beautiful planet, his own personal paradise, New Earth.

Ever since their return to Voyager, the captain had immersed herself in work, sometimes pulling double shifts, as if that somehow made up for her six weeks of absence. At first he had been happy for her, because on New Earth he had seen the pain on her face when she had looked up at the sky and saw her ship, her crew, her purpose, disappear. But once they were back on board she had suddenly started to avoid him, and being just a bit too formal and professionally distant. On the few occasions that they had had dinner since their return, she had carefully avoided the topic of New Earth. The Kathryn he had gotten to know during those fateful six weeks was gone, replaced once again by _**Captain Janeway**._

And _sh**e**_ acted as if all the personal conversations, the looks, the touches and tender implications of more to come had never held any significance for her. He was confused and hurt by her behavior. And what made it even worse was that he had no idea what to do about it.

All he _could_do was stare after her until the mess hall doors had swished shut.

**MEANWHILE...**

In the shadows of a corner in Shuttle Bay Two, the dark mass clung to the wall, motionless. After the shuttle had landed, the three humanoids quickly exited it and the lifeform had barely managed to slip out and onto the roof of the shuttle before the ramp hissed shut again. But there hadn't been enough time to trail after them before the doors of the shuttle bay had closed behind them. All the lifeform could do now was wait. Not that it minded; there was so much to absorb just in this room. The smooth texture of the wall it clung to, the caress of the circulated air, not to mention all the unknown equipment everywhere. The being had no solid form, no eyes, ears, orifices or any other visible sensory devices, but nevertheless it felt the cool temperature of the shuttle bay, was aware of the barely audible, but steady humming of the life support system and was comfortable with the dusky illumination of the room. Although it possessed no brain, it still thought constantly, and over time this steady flow of thoughts had evolved into something else, something that had eventually led to its current situation: curiosity. It wanted to investigate every surface of every strange gadget in here, but it also sensed that beyond the doors of the shuttle bay lay even greater opportunities for explorations. So it moved in a graceful, fluid motion along the wall, positioned itself just above the doors and waited. Several hours later its patience was rewarded when the doors suddenly hissed open and a single humanoid entered, carrying a crate. The shadowy mass did not wait to see where the humanoid went or what he did, but quickly slipped over the doorframe and out into the corridor.

**MEMORIES...**

The steady beeping sounds of her chronometer alarm slowly brought Kathryn Janeway out of her slumber. She opened her eyes to the all-too-familiar sight of silver dots against pitch-black background outside her viewport. Her heart seemed to sigh at the memory of the warm, golden rays of sunshine that had greeted her every morning on New Earth.

Sometimes she had lingered in her bed there, just watching the dust motes dance in the sunbeams as she made a mental list of chores for the day. And as always, the unmistakable aroma of coffee and breakfast would be wafting through their shelter, and she would smile as she listened to his cooking utensils clanking in the tiny kitchen. He had prepared their breakfast every morning without fail. And she remembered the smile that would greet her when she emerged from behind the screen separating her sleeping area.

Heavens, I miss this... I miss you... 

But then her gaze fell onto the four shiny pips sitting on her nightstand and she willed the melancholy from her mind. There was work to do; Voyager needed her.

**FIRST CONTACT...**

Commander Chakotay slouched in his seat, staring out of the bridge's viewport. But it was not the stars he saw whizzing by. Instead, he saw the woman he loved sprawled out on the ground in front of their shelter, her hair falling loose over her shoulders, digging in the soil around the vegetables they had planted. There was dirt on her face and hands and she was beautiful. She had been so relaxed then and quick to smile at him, the walls of isolation finally starting to crumble around her. Chakotay's heart ached at the memory of how at peace he had been there with her, the feeling of closeness between him and Kathryn, and the unspoken promise of a future together...

Suddenly his mind's view shifted, switching to a replay of the abrupt ending of his dinner with the captain in the messhall two days ago. That was the last time he had had any contact with her other than formalities on the bridge. The stark contrast between the woman from New Earth and the captain of this starship baffled him completely. It was as if the many conversations, the smiles, gestures and almost intimate moments never happened. He yearned for the Kathryn he had come to know on the surface of that planet, and before he even knew it he was out of his chair and moving towards the door of her ready room. His mind was working furiously as he rang the door chime. He knew he couldn't just waltz into her office and demand the cleansing talk he longed for. If he did, it would only backfire on him; he had to go about this carefully.

"Enter," came her voice from the other side of the door.

Chakotay strode purposely towards her desk. "Captain, I was wondering if you've had a chance yet to go over my revision of the implementation plan for the security drill for Gamma Shift that's scheduled for next week. I could use your input."

He actually had not submitted this particular report to her yet, but with the ever-present, staggering mountain of PADD's on her desk, she was not likely to realize that.

Janeway frowned, "I'm sorry, Commander, I don't remember even reading your revision yet." She picked up several PADD's, trying to find the elusive report. "I must have overlooked it with all those..."

"Well, I was hoping to be able to give Tuvok the approved revision today, so he can make the final arrangements." Chakotay was hoping he sounded disappointed enough before he continued, "I have another copy in my quarters. It's lunchtime anyways, so we could go over it while we eat."

There was that guarded look from her again, but this time he just returned her gaze nonchalantly. Finally she nodded. "All right. I am getting a little hungry, and I have a few ideas of my own of how to improve the drills."

"Love to hear them," he replied with false enthusiasm as they made their way out of her office. The first half of his plan was working so far; he wanted to get her out of the 'captain' environment of her ready room, and she always seemed to be just a little more relaxed during meals in his quarters. Or at least she used to be. The second part would be tougher, however. Somehow, he had to find a way to break through to her and finally make her talk to him about New Earth, and her feelings for him. For he was sure that she felt at least _something_for him. He knew that she had been ready to take their relationship to another level just before Tuvok's fateful communication about the cure.

Now she was talking to him about her ideas of improving the efficiency of the weekly security drills and he responded automatically while his mind worked over the various ways of approaching the delicate New Earth subject. They exited the turbolift and had almost reached his quarters when Kathryn suddenly grabbed his arm and stopped dead in her tracks. She was not looking at him, though. He followed her gaze and was instantly alarmed when he saw the large, dark mass attached to the wall just above her door.

His hand came up to his chest, but Kathryn was faster. "Security detail to hallway outside Captain's quarters. Intruder alert!"

He tapped his combadge immediately after her communication, calling, "Computer, erect a Level Two force field outside Captain's quarters."

Promptly, a sizzling sound ensued and two energy grates materialized along the width of the corridor on either side of the captain's door. Janeway and Chakotay were briefly illuminated in a yellow hue. The force field was in place.

A ripple ran through the shadowy mass and slowly it detached itself from the wall, coalesced into an almost translucent ball the shade of liquid smoke, and drifted weightlessly towards the center of the corridor. There it started rotating lazily until the round blob of anthracite mass had gradually stretched itself into a thick vertical line, almost six feet long.

Janeway and Chakotay watched in amazement as the line then fluidly changed into a soft oval shape about two feet across.

It reminded Kathryn of a huge, slate-colored Easter egg.

The opalescent grey energy particles of the mass were pulsing steadily in a rhythm not unlike a heartbeat, and a moment later a split appeared at the bottom of the oval. The separated sides instantly started to morph into the vague shape of legs at the same time as what appeared to be arms slowly pushed their way out of the left and right sides of the oval. Then the oblong shape of a 'head' started to protrude from the top portion of the shape. The shadowy mass now vaguely resembled a humanoid form, and the peculiar notion that they were witnessing a birth of some sort came to Chakotay's mind.

Three figures in golden security uniforms now appeared in the hallway on the other side of the force field. Their phasers were trained at the caged life form. With a wave of her hand, Janeway beckoned them to wait.

And then, for a full two minutes, absolutely nothing happened. The shadowy mass hung suspended in midair, completely motionless save for the faintly pulsing particles in its midsection.

"I think it's exhausted," whispered Kathryn. The command team looked at each other, unsure as to what to do next.

Suddenly the transformation continued, this time with lightening speed. The form's amorphous appendages abruptly changed into human arms, hands and legs and its center transformed into a curvy, female shape. Simultaneously, the head took on distinct human features, and a second later the captain and the commander of Voyager were looking at a beautiful young woman, clad in a black and _green_Starfleet uniform, hovering before them, two feet off the floor. She could easily have passed for any of Voyager's human crew members. Luscious chocolate-brown hair fell in long, lazy waves over her shoulders and her hazel eyes were sparkling with life. She blinked several times before she focused on the two people staring up at her and immediately she broke into a bright smile,

"Hello. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. First-time transformations always take longer than normal."

She must have seen the apprehensive expressions on their faces, for she quickly continued, "Don't be alarmed. I mean you no harm."

Janeway nodded at her. "Then you are welcome. I hope you speak the truth."

She pointed at herself, then at Chakotay. "I am Kathryn Janeway, Captain of this vessel, the USS Voyager. This is Commander Chakotay, my first officer."

The young woman beamed, "Thank you for your welcome. I'm glad your reception of me was not antagonistic. I was worried for a moment."

And with that she floated right through the force field towards the command team. Chakotay shot his captain a worried look, but Janeway put a hand on his arm while she steadily met the being's gaze. Something in her gut told her that this alien had no hostile intentions. Once she was past the force field the woman glanced at the floor, then back at Janeway, and a slightly embarrassed look crossed her features, "I'm afraid your level of gravity presents me with a problem..."

Kathryn resolutely took a step forward and held her hand out to the floating woman,

"I think our Doctor can be of assistance with that."

**SICKBAY...**

"Remarkable," the Doctor exclaimed, "no internal organs, no solid structure. As a matter of fact, this young lady is made up of a matter/energy composition I have not encountered before. Completely unrecorded."

He waved his tricorder in front of the alien woman's face whose eyes followed the device as if hypnotized. "That might also be the reason why the internal sensors did not alert you to her presence. But what else is new in this quadrant?" He snapped his medical tricorder shut and looked her over approvingly. "I must say, though, your holographic abilities do almost rival mine."

He gave her a smile that she promptly returned to his delight.

The Doctor had been surprised, and immediately curious, when the doors to Sickbay had opened a few minutes ago and Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay entered, leading a floating young woman in unusual Starfleet attire by the hands.

"Doctor, we have a visitor with an agravic problem."

"So I see."

He had motioned them to one of the bio-beds and began to scan their guest whom he first had to weight down by putting a portable field defibrillator case on her lap.

After finishing his examination, the Doctor thought for a moment, "I believe I still have a set of the gravitational stabilizers I constructed during our encounter with the Madorans."

He hurried towards his office, rummaged through a few drawers, and returned with eight shiny, metallic clamps. Each one had two small red gravitational control buttons imbedded in its surface. They gave the clamps the appearance of jewelry rather than medical devices. He regarded their lovely visitor for a moment. "I take it that your version of our uniforms is not real material?"

When she shook her head he looked at the clamps, explaining, "These would have to be worn on an actual garment, though. I suppose I can replicate another uniform for you." The EMH raised his eyebrows questioningly. "You are a size.... eight?"

"Well, ..." The young woman looked uncertain, quickly glanced at Janeway's slim midriff, then at her own. Suddenly, as if squeezed by an invisible hand, her waist narrowed several inches, matching the Captain's circumference. The Doctor's eyebrows shot up even higher. "All right, we'll make that a size six, then."

And he strode towards the replicator.

"What does he mean, a size six?" Kathryn thought indignantly as she looked after his retreating form, "I'm a four"

However, she decided against correcting the EHM's _miscalculation_and instead turned her attention back towards their alien guest. "Well, then," she tried to resume their earlier conversation, "why don't we pick up where we left off in the hallway?"

"With pleasure, Captain," the young woman nodded. "I'm sure you must have many questions." She looked back and forth between the captain and the commander. "But first of all I must apologize for not making my presence known to you earlier. It's just that I have not encountered your species before, and once I was on board your ship there was so much to take in all at once..."

Chakotay cut in, "And just _how long_ have you been on Voyager?" he asked.

"I don't know, my concept of time is different from yours," the alien cast a look at the commander, "but I was on board your shuttlecraft when you returned from mining the dilithium on the moon."

At this the command team exchanged a glance. The shuttle had been back for two days, meaning that the alien entity had had free reign of the entire ship ever since. This constituted a serious security breach; who knows what vital information this being had been able to gather since then.

The young woman seemed to know what was going through Janeway's mind, for she was already shaking her head. "Captain, there is no reason for you to worry. I have not attempted to access any of your computer systems. I was too busy observing and learning about your various species aboard." She shook her head again, "I am not a spy."

"Well, then maybe you should tell us just _who_ you are," Commander Chakotay insisted, "beginning with your name."

At that a mysterious little smile appeared at the corners of the alien's mouth. "Ah, yes, a name. During my observations of your crew I had noticed that you, too, have this peculiar custom. While this is a tradition with almost all other species of this quadrant, it is not a practice of my kind." The alien woman straightened her back and turned to fully face Janeway. When she resumed talking, her voice had become more formal. "Captain, the members of my race do not communicate with each other verbally, therefore we do not require individual designations. But during all of my travels I have learned that the naming of a person is an important practice in most cultures, and therefore I have made it a habit of asking the leader of my current hosts to please grant me the honor of naming me." And she gave the captain a slight bow.

Janeway's eyebrows rose in surprise and for a moment she was at a loss for words as she regarded their unusual visitor. The young woman looked at her silently, waiting.

And then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a particular name popped into Kathryn Janeway's mind, and before she knew it she had spoken it out loud.

"How about...Molly."

There was, of course, no physical resemblance between the alien woman and Kathryn's canine companion of many years. But something in Janeway's sub-conscience had made this connection. Maybe it was the woman's open, honest gaze with which she had been regarding them since their initial encounter in the hallway, or her friendliness that seemed so genuine.

But apart from all that, the name just seemed to fit.

Her alien visitor seemed to think so, too, for she cocked her head. "Molly..."

She rolled the name on her tongue as if to test it and her face lit up. "I like it," she said with a bright smile and nodded to Janeway, "Thank you, Captain."

"Well, Molly, what were you doing on that moon, if you don't mind me asking?" Chakotay wanted to know.

Molly shrugged, "I was taking in sustenance. The same thing you were digging for."

Chakotay raised his eyebrows. "Dilithium is your food staple?" The alien woman nodded.

Suddenly another thought occurred to him. "Do you know of other dilithium-rich planets in this region?"

"Yes, of course," Molly replied nonchalantly, "I know them all."

She wasn't quite sure what to make of the look that passed between the command team.

The Doctor returned with the replicated uniform draped over his arm. "Here you are, that should do." He held the garment up. "Do you need some, ahh, privacy to change into it?"

The newly named alien shook her head amused, "Thank you, Doctor, but that won't be necessary." She put the defibrillator case aside and without a moment's hesitation, reverted back to her shadowy form. The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise and he dropped the uniform. When the dark mass slid into the material, the garment pulled itself up as if controlled by invisible strings, filled out, and Molly's human head once again appeared from beneath the collar.

"As I said earlier, remarkable," the medical hologram muttered as he fastened the clamps around her upper arms, wrists, thighs, and ankles. Immediately the imbedded gravitational sensors adjusted themselves and Molly sank gently until her feet touched the floor. She took two careful steps and beamed at the Doctor. "Thank you. You are a magician!"

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," the EMH puffed out his chest slightly, "but it is nice to hear my skills being acknowledged every now and then. Have I told you that I am proficient in over fifty different medical..."

Captain Janway and Commander Chakotay lunged forward and each took one of Molly's arms. Kathryn spoke over her shoulder as they headed for the exit. "Thanks for the help, Doctor, but we still have much to discuss with our new guest here, so if you would excuse us..."

They quickly fled Sickbay before the Doctor could launch into a deeper explanation of his medical superiority.

**MESSHALL...**

When they entered the mess hall, Molly looked around with wide eyes, obviously delighted at the kaleidoscope of voices, colors and activities in the busy room.

"I have not been in here yet," she said excitedly, "but I have been outside, in the hallway, wondering what purpose this popular place must serve."

Then she spotted Voyager's cook Neelix, who was standing behind his counter, oblivious to anything but the smiling face of elf-like Kes leaning towards him. She broke into a wide smile, "Oh, you have a Talaxian! And an Ocampan! How wonderful!"

She strode directly towards the two Delta Quadrant natives and, to everyone's surprise, most of all Neelix's, she addressed him with a traditional Talaxian greeting. The cook's expression changed from confusion to delight as he heard his native tongue and they immediately struck up a conversation. The command team was left standing in the middle of the room, temporarily forgotten. They looked at each other, shrugged and grabbed their trays to serve themselves from the selection of Neelix's lunch special. Chakotay then came over to the counter to join the chatting three-some. "Sorry to interrupt, but there are still a few things to discuss..."

"Of course, Commander." Smiling at Neelix and Kes, Molly followed him to the table where the captain was already seated. Kathryn had replicated two mugs of coffee, one of which she offered to Molly. The alien woman took a careful sip of the beverage, made a face, but continued to drink it nevertheless.

"Well then, let me tell you about myself and my people..."

**KATHRYN'S THOUGHTS...**

Captain's personal log, stardate 50126.5 

_**It has been twenty-four hours since the discovery of our alien visitor Molly. Since then, both Commander Chakotay and I have spent a lot of time with her, and I must admit that I find her a fascinating being. I still do not believe that she harbors any hostile or misleading intentions, for she has been very forthcoming and open with any questions we have asked her. We have since learned much about her and her race. Her people call themselves the 'Drifters'. They are a race of sentient and highly intelligent beings who do not possess corporeal bodies, but are able to transform into any form they choose; and quite well from what we've seen in front of my door yesterday. **_

_**Some time after our conversation in the mess hall, I spoke to Neelix and Kes, and both confirmed the existence of the Drifters race to me, however, they both informed me that Molly was the first of her kind they have ever met personally. I couldn't help but notice how awed they both seemed to be by her presence on Voyager. According to Kes, the Drifters have a reputation of being the 'keepers of knowledge'. I found out later what that meant. Molly told us that the Drifters do not have a homeworld of their own, but rather live within the entire interstellar space of the Delta Quadrant. The gathering and exchange of any knowledge is their primary purpose of existence, but their policy of minimal interference in other cultures is very similar to our own Prime Directive. As a matter of fact, Molly was very excited about this similarity when I explained the Federation's policies to her. She also tells us that there are exactly six hundred of their kind, a sacred number that may neither increase nor decrease since that would break what she calls the "harmonious cycle" of her race. In order to sustain this balance, they do not mate, yet towards the end of an individual's lifecycle the 'dying' being seeks out the closest member of its race and a sacred ritual takes place in which the two of them merge and extract matter from themselves to create a new life. The dying being then transforms its essence, or knowledge, into the new lifeform.**_

_**After this final act, it will then simply cease to exist, leaving its 'descendant' to continue the cycle.  
From her explanations, I can deduce that the lifespan of the members of her species seems to be between two hundred and three hundred years. She told me that she herself is only a little over halfway through her existence, so she still has much time to gather some more wisdom. **_

_**Molly has expressed a sincere desire to learn more about Humans and other Alpha Quadrant species, so I have allowed her limited access to our computer databank, restricted to information about Earth, Human history and customs for now.**_

**_Commander Chakotay has escorted her to Stellar Cartography, and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok will be monitoring her computer access from his control station on the bridge. _If_ she strays from the approved path and attempts to access any sensitive information, she will be locked out of the system immediately_**_. **But for some reason I don't think it will come to that. **_

**_I believe that we can learn much from each other..._** Kathryn lowered the report padd and gazed out her viewport, thinking back to their earlier conversation in the mess hall. Even though Molly had not shared her affinity for coffee, Janeway could not help but like the alien woman. There was a sparkle in her eyes, a passion for learning that was very familiar to Kathryn. It was the same passion she herself still felt every time they made first contact anew.

"Complete knowledge can also be a curse, Captain."Molly had said."My kind knows everything there is to know about the Delta Quadrant. Every planet is known, every species explored, every anomaly investigated. Consequently, I am already familiar with everything I've come in contact with from the beginning of my existence. This seems sufficient for the majority of my species, but I have always yearned to know more, to find something new. So meeting your shuttle surely was a blessing for me."

After Molly had finished her tale, she had wanted to know where Voyager had come from. As the Captain and Chakotay told the account of their incredible abduction into the Delta Quadrant and, subsequently, their long journey back home, Molly's face held a compassionate expression as she sadly nodded her head. "Yes, I know of the Caretaker."

But she did not elaborate any further on the subject. Instead she had fixed Janeway with a determined look. "Captain, I propose an exchange," she said abruptly. "I sense that you have a dire need for dilithium, otherwise you would not have bothered with its poor quality on that moon. I yearn for the knowledge of the unknown that you can provide me with. Let me learn about your Earth, your species, your Alpha Quadrant. In return, I will show you every single dilithium planet along your route home."

**MOLLY'S MANY QUESTIONS...**

Ten hours after he had left Molly in the care of Meagan Delaney in Stellar Cartography, Chakotay returned to find the alien woman still hunched over the computer display, in the exact same position as when he had left her the night before.

A few minutes earlier he had met with Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, and the Vulcan had confirmed that their visitor had not attempted to access any classified information. He had been relieved to hear that, and now he grinned at her. "Have you moved at all since last night?"

Molly looked up and seemed surprised to see him there. "Commander, I thought you said you would go to 'sleep'."

"I did."

Molly's eyes grew wide. "Has it been that long already? I have been so absorbed in learning about Earth and the Alpha Quadrant that I completely forgot the time. It is all so fascinating!"

Chakotay stepped closer to the computer console and looked down on her with a dimpled grin. "Aren't you the least bit tired after all this reading?"

Molly shook her head. "Oh, my kind does not need any type of regeneration."

She turned back to the console with a dreamy look on her face. "I have read so much about Earth in the last few hours that I feel like I've actually been there. How I would love to see it."

Chakotay thought for a second, then reached out for her hand. "I think that could be arranged."

They arrived at Holodeck Two only a few minutes later.

"Computer, run Holodeck Program 'Sandrine's'."

"Program initiated. Enter, please."

Chakotay took her arm, "You wanted to see 24th century Earth, here is a part of it."

The holodeck doors opened and they stepped into the dusky, slightly smoky bar. Sandrine herself was behind the counter, smiling at them in welcome. Chakotay introduced Molly and ordered drinks while Molly took in her environment with wide eyes. She ran her hands over the worn surface of the bar and bounced on the seat of the barstool. "This feels different than the seats in the mess hall," she exclaimed.

Chakotay grinned. "That's because this seat's padded."

He liked her childlike enthusiasm for anything that she had come across so far on the ship. Between Stellar Cartography and the Holodeck she had asked him a thousand questions, but oddly enough he didn't mind explaining things like 'Why are the walls painted grey?' to her. She reminded him very much of Kes.

Molly turned to him. "This...Holodeck. An interesting conception."

Chakotay nodded. "Yes. We mainly use it for two purposes: Entertainment, and to preserve our sanity."

She cocked her head and looked up at him with a puzzled expression, so he explained further. "There are hundreds of different programs for the crew's entertainment. It could be a training program of some kind, or a program with interactive characters and an actual plot, like a holonovel. Basically, a place where reality can be set aside for a while."

He looked past her and his voice grew somber, "or it can be a place of retreat; an individual sanctuary. Many of the crewmembers have recreated programs of their homes on their worlds, complete with family members or other loved ones. It helps them to stay sane out here. Reminds them that there **_is_** a home to get back to, and people waiting there for them."

She looked at him with her direct gaze. "And you? Are there people waiting for you?"

He didn't answer her, but the quick flash of pain in his eyes told her more than any words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," she apologized.

Chakotay shook his head, forcing a smile. "Nothing to be sorry about."

He quickly motioned around the room, changing the subject. "This, for example, is Tom Paris' creation. But it's now a favorite hangout of the whole crew. We come here after duty, to relax, play some pool, and just to have fun."

Suddenly an idea formed in his head, and he turned to her. "Well, the captain actually wanted to see you now, but would you like to come back here tonight, after Alpha shift is off duty? This place is much more fun with real people around."

Her smile turned her entire face radiant. "I would love to!"

**"GIRL" TALK...**

Kathryn Janeway was studying the PADD containing the graph of the dilithium planets along their route home that Molly had prepared. The Drifter had insisted on delivering her part of the bargain before she began her studies of the Alpha Quadrant. Now when she saw the young woman walking through her doors she rose to greet her.

"How are your studies going?" she asked with a smile when she saw the excitement on her alien visitor's face.

Molly's face shone indeed. "Captain Kathryn, I want to tell you how grateful I am. You have given me a priceless gift by allowing me to learn about your species. What a most fascinating peoples you are! Such an abundance of different cultures, customs, philosophies...yet one thing combines you all: Your emotions."

Molly's forehead wrinkled now. "One thing puzzles me, though, and that's your concept of...love."

She fixed Kathryn with one of her direct gazes. "In your literary databanks I have found this feeling to be the most referenced. But for an emotion so pure, your kind certainly makes it sound quite complex."

Kathryn chuckled, "You can say that again!" She motioned Molly towards the couch and the two woman sat down, "You see, among my people, love is divided into several different stages; there is the professional friendship between crewmembers, as you see on this ship. Then there is the deeper bond between lifelong friends, the special love between family members, and then there is the love between mates."

"Such as Commander Chakotay and you?"

Kathryn shook her head, "Oh no, the commander and my relationship falls strictly into the 'professional friendship' category," she replied a little too fast.

Molly cocked her head. "Strange. Now I'm confused, because the one thing I pride myself in is that I am a good observer. And the commander's demeanor when he is around you, the looks he casts at you, or the ones you give him when he is not looking, do not coincide with what I have observed about the interactions of the rest of your crew. So there is an 'in-between' stage that I am not aware of?"

Kathryn sighed, "No, there isn't." She gave Molly a small, tired smile. "But it's not that easy to explain. The feelings Chakotay and I have for each other , to say the least. There are Starfleet rules and protocols we are bound to."

"Captain," Molly leaned closer towards her host. "I have inside me several millennia of knowledge, and I know of countless stories of love among the multitude of species of the Delta Quadrant. Lots of them ended well, but many others had catastrophic consequences, from the death of the lovers to the destruction of their whole villages or towns. A few of them even ended in wars amongst entire worlds. Millions of deaths."

The two women looked at each other solemnly. "Sounds like the ancient story of Troy." Kathryn remarked.

Molly nodded. "I've read that account and, yes, it's similar to that."

The alien woman shrugged. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have studied Starfleet protocols from the copy Mr. Tuvok had provided me with, and I couldn't find any evidence that a lifelong love between you and Chakotay would result in the end of Starfleet, or Earth as you know it." She said that with such a sincere look on her face that Kathryn had to laugh. After a moment Molly chuckled, too, but then she turned serious again. "Captain, _do_ you share his feelings?"

With an uncomfortable look on her face the captain rose from the couch. "If only I knew just how he feels," she said after a while, "I could probably answer this question."

Molly got up as well to stand next to Kathryn. "Captain, I realize that among Humans, many feelings and emotions are a very private matter. I read so much about them last night, but...unfortunately I will never go beyond just theoretical knowledge."

She faced Janeway and exhaled deeply before she continued, "Unless I could experience them first-hand. My species has no superior powers, but we do possess a somewhat unique ability. I could experience your humanity...if you would let me." She now watched Janeway's face closely. "You would do me a great honor," she said quietly.

Kathryn thought about it for a while. Then she nodded to Molly, "If it helps you understand better, then fine. What do I have to do?"

Molly smiled gratefully. "Oh, nothing. Just give me your hands."

The two women clasped hands, and after a moment Kathryn gradually became aware of a humming sound inside her head. Not an actual audible noise, but rather a vibration, rising up from her subconscious like an air bubble once trapped beneath the ocean floor and now fighting its way towards the surface. Then the feeling was gone and she watched Molly blink rapidly before the alien released her hands.

Molly closed her eyes and the expression on her face was blissful, as if she had just bitten into the most delicious fruit. "Ah, what wonderful sensations. I do believe I...understand now. Thank you!"

The young woman beamed at Captain Janeway and turned to leave. "Please excuse me, but now I have a lot more reading to do. I think I'm ready for the 'romance' entries in the ships' databank now."

Kathryn grinned at the retreating form of her visitor.

**MOLLY WONDERS...**

Over the background noise of laughter from Sandrine's bar and the clicks of pool queues on balls, her melodic voice was floating towards them...

"...so naturally the Herian ambassador was very eager to make a good first impression on the Urons, and when he met with the Uron entourage he went right into the traditional Herian greeting of ritual nose rubbing. Unfortunately, what he didn't know at the time was that in Uron society, nose rubbing is considered a very intimate gesture, the consent to mate. But by the time I was able to stop him, he had already rubbed noses with the Uron king, the queen, the prime minister and the high priest and priestess."

Molly's grin almost reached her ears. "You should have seen his face when I told him about the, umm... commitment he had just made."

Chakotay's eyes were tearing and his belly ached, all because of the alien woman across from him. But it felt good. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. He looked at Kathryn sitting next to him in the booth. She was wiping her eyes as well, leaning slightly towards him, her laughter temporarily eradicating the emotional distance she had put between them lately. For the past hour Molly had poured out story after story about her encounters with countless creatures of the Delta Quadrant, each more hilarious than the previous. Some of the species he knew; others, like the Urons and Herians, he had never heard of.

"I don't know if I would be able to keep a straight face, should we ever meet the Herian ambassador." Kathryn hiccupped, grinning at him, "Not after this story."

Chakotay grinned back. "Apart from Tuvok and Vorik, you would probably be the _only_ one of the crew who could." He held her gaze, enjoying the momentary lightheartedness, but Kathryn looked away quickly, busying herself with her drink. Molly had caught the quick, silent exchange between the command team, and made a mental note for later to look a little further into the strange relationship between the Captain and her Commander. A few minutes later Kathryn excused herself. "It's been a lot of fun, Molly, but I have to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day."

She nodded curtly at Chakotay, winked at Molly and strode towards the exit.

On the way out she was stopped by several crewmembers who apparently wanted to chat. Molly watched the captain share a joke with Tom Paris and Harry Kim, and all three laughed out loud.

Out of the corner of her eyes Molly observed Chakotay. His face was expressionless; his eyes, however, were anything but. For the second time in a few hours she was at a loss about Humans and their complex emotions. The first time had been just after she had received the captain's feelings. She had gone back to Stellar Cartography, but instead of resuming her studies, had sat in quiet contemplation, trying to make sense of those new sensations. She had found the captain to be a passionate woman, with a myriad of feelings. Most of them were clear and straight forward, but then there was...him. Here was where Kathryn's feelings coalesced into quite a stew: friendship, trust, respect, and most of all, love. But that love she did not let him see. _Why? And how much did heknow of these hidden feelings?_ Molly wondered.

She had no answers, but it had been then when the first stirrings of an idea had come to her. Now it tugged at her again, and she gave herself a scarcely visible nod, determining to go through with it now.

She turned to Chakotay. "Your captain is very well loved by her crew, isn't she?"

The first officer nodded, turning his gaze back to her as Kathryn exited the holodeck, "We have all been through a lot together," he answered her, "there is not one person on this ship who wouldn't lay their life down for her. So, yes, she is loved indeed."

He spoke the last sentence more to himself than to her.

_Now or never_, Molly thought. "How I wish I knew what this love feels like," she said with an innocent look on her face.

A speculative look came over his features and his eyes narrowed as he reached for her empty tea mug. "Would you like a refill?" he asked, already sliding out of the booth.

She was a bit surprised by this reaction. "Yes, please," she responded, watching him saunter towards the bar.

Had he sensed her unspoken query? Would he agree?

He returned and placed the steaming mug in front of her. Molly nodded her thanks. She did not require hydration as Humans did, but the taste of this particular beverage pleased her.

Chakotay took a careful sip of his tea. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked, straight to the point.

Molly decided to be upfront with him. "I would like to ask a favor of you. I am...intrigued by the complexity of human emotions and feelings. But even though I have read and observed so much of it, it is still an utterly alien concept to me and this leaves me..." she waved her hand, searching for the right word, "...unfulfilled. And I long to make this knowledge complete."

"And you need my help with that." He followed her implication.

Her face was hopeful. "Yes."

He fixed her with a long look before he answered, "How can I help?"

Her smile was beatific as she launched into her explanation. "My kind possesses the ability to absorb other species' feelings and sensations. It is an invaluable asset in our quest for knowledge and understanding of all creatures. If you would share some of your emotions with me..." She did not mention the earlier exchange in the captain's ready room.

"Sounds almost like a Borg thing," he said, grinning.

"Ah, but there is one big difference. I always ask first."

His eyes crinkled as he nodded his consent. "All right. Let's do it then."

Beaming she held out her hands to him across the table.

At first there was nothing, but then he felt a faint stirring in the back of his head, as if his mind was caressed by the gentlest of summer breezes. It only lasted a moment and he saw Molly blink several times before she withdrew her hands from his. She looked at him with a smile, nodding slowly. "Ah, yes. Love really _is_a wonderful feeling."

He gave her another long, scrutinizing look. Then he sighed.

"Only if it's returned," he said ruefully.

_You'll know soon_, thought Molly.

**UNINTENTIONAL CONFRONTATION...**

Thirteen hours later Voyager arrived at Molly's specified coordinates of the nameless planet. It was small, about half the size of Earth, and clad in a purplish hue. But considering what was to be found there, Captain Janeway thought it to be the most beautiful thing she had seen in a long time. The preliminary scans had revealed massive amounts of dilithium only a few meters beneath its surface.

"Captain, due to the strong ionic interference in the planet's atmosphere, further scans will not be one hundred percent accurate, but so far I have determined that the only inhabitants of this planet seem to be several types of _cochleae communis**."**_

Janeway turned to face her chief of security. "Snails, Mr. Tuvok?"

Then, unexpectedly, she grinned at Chakotay. "How much better can this day get? We will not only have a full stock of dilithium by the end of the day, we might also be having escargot for dinner."

The first officer flashed his dimples, but before he could reply with a jest involving Neelix and garlic butter, a series of beeps sounded from the ops station.

Ensign Kim looked up. "Captain, I'm detecting an unidentified vessel emerging from the ion storm of the planet's atmosphere. It is heading straight for us."

"Shields up, on screen," Chakotay ordered.

A ship about half the size of Voyager came into view. It was wedge-shaped and constructed out of a shiny, metallic-gray material. Bright lights flashed from several locations along its outer hull.

"Hail them." Janeway said.

Harry did what he was told. "No response, Captain."

But the alien warship did respond by powering up their weapons, and moments later a powerful phaser volley slammed into Voyager's starboard side. The ship rocked precariously and Janeway was flung back into her seat.

"Mr. Tuvok, report!" she demanded in a loud, yet steady voice.

"They have targeted our weapons and propulsory systems. Minimal damage reported, but shields are down to fifty percent."

"_Fifty percent?_ How did they do that with just one shot?" Janeway fixed Chakotay with an incredulous look, but before he could respond Harry Kim' voice came from behind them. "Captain, they are hailing us."

"On screen."

The bridge's viewscreen came to life revealing a humanoid figure clad in a high-buttoned, iron grey uniform. Its facial features were concealed by a tight, black helmet with a visor that reached more than halfway down its face. It was impossible to even determine whether the alien was male or female. The only part left visible was a wide, grey-lipped mouth, which the alien now opened to speak. A stream of high-pitched, garbled screeches filled Voyager's bridge and Janeway's hands came halfway up to her head in an automatic reflex to cover her ears before she caught herself.

The alien's outpour continued for several seconds before it subsided and suddenly there was nothing but a deadly quiet in the air.

Chakotay spoke up, "Computer, translation."

"Unable to comply," came the disembodied answer, "no comparable language pattern available."

Captain Janeway rolled her eyes. "Well, that's great."

Nevertheless, she turned towards the screen, "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We do not understand your language, but I'm hoping you might understand ours. We have done nothing to provoke your act of aggression towards us. We are here on a peaceful mission to harvest a much-needed substance to power our ship from the surface of this planet..."

She was interrupted by another screeching outburst from the alien, more agitated this time.

The command team exchanged a glance. "This isn't going to work," Kathryn frowned.

Chakotay's eyebrows shot up. "Does Molly have a combadge?"

Years of working side by side had made it easy for Kathryn to follow her first officer's train of thought, and she tapped her own badge on her chest. "Janeway to Molly."

It took a moment, but then Molly's voice was on the comline. "Yes, Captain Kathryn?"

"We need your help with a situation on the bridge. Can you come up here as fast as possible, please?"

"Of course. Captain, that rocking just a moment ago...did someone shoot at us?"

"Yes, and I'm hoping that with your help it won't happen again."

"I'm on my way, Captain."

Janeway ended the connection. "Let's hope she can shed some light on this encounter here," she said with a frustrated glance at the viewscreen, where the alien had fallen silent again, apparently waiting for their response.

Sooner than expected the turbolift doors swung open and Molly stepped onto the bridge.

When she saw the creature on the viewscreen she stopped in her tracks and her eyes widened. Janeway strode towards her. "Are you familiar with this species?" she asked without preamble.

Molly nodded, her eyes still intent on the screen. "They are the Qua'a. I didn't expect _them_ here. We are far from their homeworld."

Molly shot Janeway a worried look. "Very unpleasant people, the Qua'a."

"Yes, we found that out already." Janeway wanted to know more about the creatures that were threatening them, but that had to wait. "We can't seem to communicate with them, which will probably make them even more unpleasant. Can you speak their tongue?"

Molly nodded. "I've explored their planets. What do you want me to tell them?"

Kathryn repeated her earlier short speech. Molly opened her mouth and emitted the earsplitting screeching sounds that matched the alien's. The creature on the screen whipped its head around and answered in the same volume. Janeway's head began to hurt.

After some more dialogue Molly turned to the captain. "I've relayed your message. He says that you have violated Qua'a space and that you will be destroyed if you do not leave immediately." Molly looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't know that they had claimed this planet. The Qua'a are much like the Kazon, roaming and claiming territories as they please. But I've never seen them in this sector."

"Tell him we are willing to trade for the Dilithium on that planet," Commander Chakotay had risen from his chair. "Ask him what goods he would be interested in."

The two women descended the few steps from the turbolift and stood directly in front of the view screen. Molly translated, but the answer was brief.

"He says he does not wish to trade and that you are to leave."

"How about..." Janeway started, but suddenly the view screen went blank and the alien vessel started to move.

"They are powering up their weapons again," came Tuvok's composed voice.

Janeway whirled around. "Auxiliary power to the shields. Evasive maneu..."

Voyager was rocked once more as another powerful energy burst hit them.

Harry Kim's voice was urgent, "Shields down to twenty percent, Captain."

The ensign had barely finished his sentence when the air by the turbolift started to shimmer and two grey and black clad figures materialized. Both were armed and one of them had his weapon pointed directly at Chakotay.

Molly saw them first. "Chakotay!" she cried and turned at the same time. The nanosecond the alien pressed his weapon's trigger, Molly reverted to her original shadowy form, surged towards the intruder and enveloped him with her mass before her empty uniform had even hit the floor. The alien's shot went awry, and Commander Tuvok's phaser took out the second intruder before it had a chance to aim its weapon at anyone. It had all happened so fast that none of the other members of the bridge crew had had any chance to react. At Molly's shout, Chakotay had instinctively crouched, and he was still in this position, watching incredulously as the alien intruder ineffectively tried to fight off the shadowy mass that clung tightly to its entire body, cutting off its oxygen supply and slowly asphyxiating it. Its struggles weakened after a few moments and it sank to the floor, twitching twice. Then it was still. To his right, Chakotay heard the chirping of a combadge and the captain's voice, "Bridge to engineering. Lieutenant Torres, I need every available ounce of power rerouted to the shields. Turn off the lights if you have to, but we cannot sustain another hit."

Then Janeway stepped into his line of vision and approached the still engulfed alien intruder, Molly's discarded uniform in her hands. She laid the garment out onto the floor and spoke softly, "That's enough, Molly."

The shadowy mass rippled slightly, then detached itself slowly from the dead alien and slid back into the uniform. When she had once again regained her human form, Molly looked at Janeway with a solemn expression. "I'm sorry, Captain. It was necessary."

Kathryn nodded wordlessly and put a hand on her shoulder. Then she turned towards Tuvok. "How the hell were they able to beam through our shields?" she demanded to know from her chief of security, but before the Vulcan could answer, her ops officer spoke.

"Captain!" Harry Kim pointed towards the fallen aliens, who had begun to shimmer again and...disappeared. Moments later the view screen came back to life, and this time the alien leader started his screeching even before his image had filled the screen entirely. But this time his message was short, and Molly turned towards Kathryn, urgency shining in her eyes. "Captain, take the ship away from here. Now."

"What..?"

"Quickly!" Molly's eyes were riveted on the view screen where the alien vessel once again moved to reposition itself.

Sensing the threat in the alien's unintelligible message, Janeway whirled around. "Mr. Paris, take us out."

But before the pilot could react, a bright red beam shot towards them from the Qua'a vessel. Voyager's bridge rocked slightly as the tractor beam firmly latched on to them.

"Oh no, they're not," Janeway growled and turned towards her chief of security. "Mr. Tuvok, kindly disengage us from their tractor beam."

The Vulcan nodded curtly. "Firing phasers."

But the bridge crew looked on disbelievingly as their phaser discharge was simply absorbed by the Qua'a ships' shields.

Tuvok's steady, emotionless voice floated from his station. "The alien vessel has sustained no damage. Their shields are holding."

"Let's try that again, Tuvok. Maximum firepower." The Captain stared hard at the viewscreen, as if her death glare alone could penetrate the Qua'a shields.

Maximum firepower had the same effect, namely none.

"All right," Janeway's whisky-smooth voice resonated clearly across the bridge, "might as well throw the kitchen sink at them."

"Captain?" The Vulcan's eyebrows were raised in confusion.

"Never mind, Mr. Tuvok. Just a phrase I picked up from one of our favorite pilot's holonovels."

Despite the tense situation she could hear Tom's chuckle from his position at the helm. "Ready photon torpedo."

"Aye Captain, torpedo ready for launch."

"Let 'em have it, Mr. Tuvok."

Kathryn watched the torpedo speed towards the alien vessel, but one of the Qua'a's powerful energy beams vaporized it only seconds after launch. A sickening feeling was beginning to spread in her stomach, and when she looked at Chakotay, she saw the same worry lines etched into his face.

Suddenly Ensign Kim's voice came from the ops station. "Sensors are detecting another Qua'a vessel approaching our coordinates at warp 4.7. Estimated time of interception is five minutes."

Janeway's face darkened as she looked around her bridge crew, "Gentlemen, I'm open to suggestions."

But it was Molly who answered. "Captain Kathryn, your weapons are no match for their shields."

Janeway turned to her. "Well, you _are_ the resident Qua'a expert. Any ideas?"

Molly looked thoughtful. "I have not been on the Qua'a homeworld for a long time, but some of my kind have, and from their knowledge I know that for quite some time the Qua'a have been focusing on perfecting the defensive and weapons systems of their ships." Molly stared at the hovering Qua'a ship. "Obviously they succeeded. But because of that they have been neglecting another important part of their technology. Speed."

"Go on." Janeway now had a thoughtful look of her own on her face.

"As far as I know the maximum speed of their ships does not exceed warp 4.7."

Molly's face split into a mischievous grin. "I assume you can outrun them?"

"Are you kidding?" Tom answered from the helm. "At warp 4.7 they'd be eating our warp trail, if we could get loose from this tractor beam..."

"Incoming ship will intercept in four minutes," came Harry's voice from the ops station.

"...in under four minutes." Janeway mumbled and turned back to Molly, but the alien woman had her head bowed, the mane of her hair obstructing her facial features. She stayed like that for several moments, then abruptly her head came back up and she faced the captain. "There is a way..."

**THE 'GIFT'...**

"No! I will not risk you getting harmed," Captain Janeway told Molly sternly after the alien had finished explaining her plan.

"Captain, you have no other choice," the alien replied. "When the second Qua'a ship gets here you will not stand a chance against their combined firepower." She gesticulated at the looming vessel on the screen.

"I'll be fine. Believe me, I am quite adaptable, and I think that if I inserted my molecular structure into their defensive shield, it would cause a temporary disruption in its energy pattern."

"You mean to 'short-circuit' their shields?" Chakotay asked skeptically.

Molly nodded.

"But what about you? Wouldn't that be dangerous to you?" Janeway was not convinced.

Molly shrugged. "So far I have not yet encountered an energy force that has been harmful to me. This should be no different."

Kathryn remembered how Molly had simply drifted through their force field after her transformation.

"Their defensive systems are quite sophisticated, though. And, of course, they would attempt to readjust their shields immediately, so the interference would be very short-lived."

"How long?"

Molly shrugged. "A second, maybe two."

Chakotay turned to their chief pilot. "Tom, what do you think?"  
Tom returned his gaze steadily. "With a well-coordinated shot, that should be enough time to take out the tractor beam."

Harry's voice, more urgent now, sounded from ops. "The vessel is closing in on our coordinates. Estimated arrival in three minutes."

Finally Janeway sighed, "All right. Let's do it." She turned towards Chakotay. "Commander, please take her to the airlock by the starboard docking port." Looking back at Molly she continued, her command voice back in place now. "We'll monitor your movements once you are outside the ship, and Mr. Paris will disable the tractor beam the moment we are reading the energy distraction in their shields." Kathryn stole a weary glance at the ship that held them captive. "I guess this really is our only option left."

Molly touched Kathryn lightly on the arm. "It was good knowing you, Captain Kathryn. I will pass my knowledge about you on to very one of my kind, and whenever you are in need, anyone of my people will come to your aid."

Janeway gave Molly her famous crooked smile. "Thank you, Molly. It was certainly good having met you."

Kim's voice again, "Captain, the Qua'a ship..."

"Yes, we must hurry." Molly and Chakotay took two steps towards the turbolift before Molly stopped in her tracks with an "Oh!" and turned back towards the captain. She took Kathryn's hands into her own. "I almost forgot. This is not how I originally wanted to do this, but..." She squeezed Janeway's hands lightly, and suddenly Kathryn's eyes grew wide in an expression of wonder. Molly released her hands with a parting smile and hurried with Chakotay towards the turbolift.

The last thing Chakotay saw before the doors closed was Kathryn staring at him, her mouth slightly open, her face a mask of utter surprise.

"What did you do?" he asked, puzzled.

Molly shook her head. "No time to explain, but you will find out soon."

The lift doors opened and they sprinted down the corridor towards the docking port. When they arrived at the translucent double doors of the airlock, Chakotay punched in the code to open the first door that led into the small decompression chamber. Normally it would take any humanoid several minutes inside this antechamber to prepare their bodies for the vacuum of space before the second door, the one that actually led out into space, could be opened. Molly, however, did not need any such preparation time.

Chakotay looked down into the alien's human eyes and felt a pang of regret at her premature farewell. "Now, I don't want you to think that it's a Human custom to shoot our visitors out the airlock, ok?" He tried to lighten the situation with a joke.

Molly smiled sadly. "I won't. But I would have loved to stay on Voyager a little longer. There would still have been so much to learn."

"And we would have loved to have you around longer."

She looked up at him. "Hey, this might not be goodbye, we could run into each other again. I know every stop you'll be making on your route home. _After all, I did map them out foryou**."**_ They grinned at each other, but then Molly abruptly grew serious. "Chakotay, I must tell you something I neglected to mention earlier. When you let me experience your emotions...well, I might not have elaborated enough on this special ability of mine."

Chakotay frowned, "I'm not sure I'm following you."

"I can not only experience emotions, I can also transmit them to other beings. In that respect I am somewhat of a conduit, I suppose. Earlier, Captain Kathryn was also gracious enough to let me experience her feelings." A strange look he couldn't quite place came over her face, "I now know what each of you feels for the other, but I also know that you are both unsure about those feelings."

Understanding dawned on Chakotay's face. "When you touched her on the bridge...the look she suddenly gave me..."

Molly nodded and quickly took his hands. "It might not have been the right thing to do, but I'm hoping it was..." She squeezed.

He felt a tingling in his hands and, a moment later, a peculiar sensation inside his head; a feeling, but barely perceptible, as if shrouded in a thick fog. Then the shroud parted and a tidal wave of emotions surged towards him, engulfing his brain and his heart; and suddenly he understood, saw and felt it all with a clarity that left him breathless. He almost recoiled from the intensity of Kathryn's feelings that Molly had just transferred to him. He felt her love for him as clearly as if he were in her body, experienced her frustration and internal struggles against the seemingly implacable Starfleet protocols that kept them apart. The self-imposed loneliness of her captaincy pierced his heart like a dagger. The question that had plagued him since their return from New Earth was now answered as the soul crushing feeling of loss she suffered for their future just before the beam-out now washed over him with the same ferocity that had come over Kathryn back then.

He knew. Finally. And he exhaled.

Molly withdrew her hands and the world came back into focus. "You wanted to be sure," he heard her say softly, "and now you can be."

The chime of his combadge intruded onto the moment. "Commander, incoming ship will intercept in ninety seconds."

His hand came up automatically. "We are almost ready, Ensign." His voice was thick; the immensity of what had just transpired still threatened to overwhelm him.

The commander and the alien's eyes locked. Molly smiled that smile that he had already become used to during the past two days. Suddenly she stretched and kissed his cheek. "I will miss you - both of you. Farewell."

For one more second he saw her features, sweet and innocent, yet ancient and wise. Then she was gone, reverted back to her shapeless, anthracite form. She moved into the antechamber, the doors swishing shut behind her. Chakotay tapped a few more buttons and the external doors opened, releasing Molly back into the endless void of space.

Chakotay reached down and picked up her empty uniform. The gravitational stabilizers were still blinking a beautiful crimson. He closed his eyes for a moment, sending a quick, silent prayer for her well-being to his ancestors. Then he turned and hurried back towards the turbolift.

**REVELATIONS...**

"Captain, Molly has just exited the airlock and is moving towards the Qua'a ship."

All eyes on the bridge were riveted on the large screen, where, against the blackness of space, Molly was not visible to the naked eye, but Harry tracked her movements on his ops console. "At her current speed she will intercept it in twenty seconds."

"Stand ready, Mr. Paris," Janeway said without taking her eyes off the alien ship. "How long until the second vessel reaches us, ensign?"

'Thirty-one seconds, Captain."

"Tight," she mumbled.

"Phasers are locked onto their tractor beam emitter, engines are ready to engage to warp speed," Tom Paris proclaimed.

Tuvok spoke up. "Captain, we are being hailed by the Qua'a ship."

"Ignore," Janeway replied. "We cannot communicate with them any longer, and besides, as far as I'm concerned, there is nothing more to say."

"Five seconds to interception, Tom," Ops announced.

Even though she knew that nothing could be seen, Janeway nevertheless squinted her eyes at the view screen. Suddenly a bright yellow flare rippled through the Qua'a ship's shields, illuminating its entire shield grid for a moment.

Kim and Janeway shouted simultaneously:

"Contact!"

"Now, Tom!"

But the pilot's fingers were already flying over his console with practiced efficiency, sending a phaser volley towards the predetermined coordinates of the Qua'a tractor beam emitter. It hit its target dead on. A shower of sparks erupted from the lower starboard side of the alien ship and abruptly the tractor beam dissolved; Voyager was free.

"Second Qua'a ship is dropping out of warp, Captain."

Kathryn Janway took one last look at the damaged vessel, and Molly's indiscernible form. "Then by all means, let's get out of their way. Warp Seven, Tom."

The Qua'a back-up ship arrived amidst a bright beacon of light, opening fire immediately. But its energy discharges were met by only thin air where, less than a second before, the Federation starship had been.

On the bridge of Voyager, Kathryn Janeway's adrenaline level was slowly returning to normal after their narrow escape. She turned to her chief of security. "Mr. Tuvok, you have the bridge. I'll be in my ready room."

The doors had barely closed behind her when her knees gave way and she sank heavily onto the couch. With all the commotion on the bridge earlier, there had simply been no time for her to be overwhelmed by what had happened between Molly and her, but now...

Kathryn stared at her open palms. When Molly had grasped her hands she had been completely unprepared for the riptide of Chakotay's emotions. His love for her was so powerful, so pure that she had literally stopped breathing for a moment. The futility of her behavior towards him since their return from New Earth had never been so evident to her as it was now. How could she ever have thought that keeping her distance from him would diminish his love for her, or her love for him? And her eyes had been opened by, of all people, an alien being completely unaccustomed to humanity.

"Oh, Chakotay..." she whispered.

As if on cue, her door chime sounded, and her heartbeat quickened. There was no question as to who was on the other side. "Come in," she called weakly.

He paused in the doorway, his frame nearly blocking out the illumination from the bridge behind him. Then he was across the room and she was on her feet, moving towards him without any conscious volition on her part. He grasped her hands, and wordlessly they simply looked at each other. He was so close that she could see her reflection in those dark pupils and she saw the knowledge there. Molly had not been one-sided with the distribution of her gift.

She broke the silence. "We need to talk, Chakotay."

He nodded. "Yes, Kathryn, we do."

She squeezed his hands. "Tonight. Dinner in my quarters. No uniforms, no ranks."

"I would like that," he said hoarsely. "It's long overdue."

She could only nod as he pulled her into his embrace.

**EPILOGUE...**

Two light years away the shapeless form was unharmed. Unnoticed by the Qua'a ships she moved away, melting into the blackness of space. As she floated aimlessly, she thought back to the two extraordinary Humans she had just left, and the invaluable gift of knowledge they had bestowed upon her through their trust. Through her, this knowledge would now pass on to countless generations of her descendants. She hoped that she had been able to return the favor in equal measure through her rather hasty gesture just before her forced farewell. They were good people; they deserved to know.

And, although she no longer had a mouth, she smiled.

THE END


End file.
